Decipher Reflections from Reality
by mistressXmisfit
Summary: Two teens ponder throughout the years how life works in funny ways and if good things can come out of crappy situations.LEMON and and gore in future chapters MattxOC read & review
1. I heard from a little bird

_**Disclaimer**__: I do __**NOT **__own Death Note in any way, shape, or form I just daydream about it a lot so that's why I come up with OCs'…duh._

_My current L fanfic is on hiatus right now because I'm currently revising a few of the chapters so I decided to move along with my Matt fanfic, and I honestly do plan on completing this one, so please enjoy and review._

My hands were convulsing within the bowls of my coat pockets. I sat alone in the backseat of a limousine. I was even shut apart from the driver, so there was no one to really converse with.

What a shame. It would've helped to calm my nerves.

I don't know what was worse, the ordeal I had just been put through, or the one I was about to face in a matter of minutes.

My tiny hand reached up to my right temple where I felt the soft clump of gauze held onto my skin with medical tape. I could still feel the light throbbing of the fairly recent wound.

Yesterday morning, I had woken up to the sound of a steady beeping, then as my vision adjusted to the bright florescent lighting of the room, I saw a UV hooked up to my arm, then the monitor indicating my steady heartbeat, then the _smell._

It hit me like a sack of potatoes. It smelled of sterilization.

I knew perfectly well where I was.

That's when I felt the sharp pang on the side of my head. I recalled the previous night's memories and instantly wish that I hadn't.

I felt the tears well up, spilling out from my lids almost as quickly as they had formed.

_I had been in the kitchen with my mother making candy apples when a brick had gone flying through our kitchen window, causing glass to be strewn across the linoleum floor. _

_My father had stumbled in through the broken window, the stench of alcohol clinging on to him like a plague._

"_Craig, what's the deal?! You practically scared Hayley to death! ," Mom shrieked._

_I knew she wanted to cuss him out so bad, but refrained from doing so since I was in the room. I'm 12-years-old already yet she still treats me as if I'm such an immaculate and naïve child._

"_The front door was locked. For a second I thought you mighta been screwin' that no good Shawn from across the street. I see the way you look at each other. ," Dad slurred_

_Now I shifted, beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable with the situation._

"_How dare you! You know, if you weren't too hammered you might remember from time to time that you keep a spare key to the house! ,"Mom retorted._

"_And I bet ya Shawn does too. ," he spat back at her._

_That's when I heard the sharp noise of Mom's hand colliding hard against Dad's cheek._

_Hell fire ignited instantly in his eyes, as Mom wasted no time in making a dash for the hallway, but she couldn't out run him._

_He easily forced her down to the floor on the heap of shattered glass, taking off his steel toed boots and beating her on the back of the head with it._

"_Dad NO!!!! ," I cried leaping onto his hunched form, miserably attempting to pry him off of Mom._

"_Your mother needs to be taught a lesson, Hayley! ," he swiftly shoved me off causing me to bang my head on the edge of the kitchen counter and black out._

After that, I regained consciousness in the hospital where there was an elderly man in a suit sitting on the chair beside my bed.

"Ah! Hayley Teal, I presume. ,"he greeted gleefully.

I nodded my head 'yes', to awe struck to reply with actual words.

"I am Quillish Wammy, founder of Wammy's House for Gifted Children. I've heard a great deal about you, . I heard you were taking College Physics, am I right?"

I nodded yet again.

"And I also heard that you managed to shut down the school district's computer system in order to avoid the state exams the following day.," he said with a mischievous smile.

"Wait! How do you know about that! No one was able to catch on to me. Not even the super attendant! ,"I nearly jumped out of my hospital gown.

"I have my sources, . Don't worry, you're secret is safe with me. I also hear that you're lead guitar in your school's orchestra."

"Uh, yes sir.,"

Where was this conversation heading?

"Well seems to me like you have great potential to be a great scientist or a musical prodigy.," he smiled.

"Thank you, . But you wouldn't happen to know where my mother is, do you? I need to get back home with her now that I'm awake."

The look on his face said it all.

It was pained, and full of regret and pity.

"I'm afraid your mother didn't make it last night, . You're father is being locked away as we speak for attempted manslaughter. I'm very sorry dear."

I felt a rage of water works overcome me at that moment, not caring if was there or not.

And that's the reason why I'm in this limousine. Apparently, I have no other living relatives to move in with and since is convinced that I'm some sort of protégé, I've been flown out all the way from a one horse town in Texas all the way to England to attend Wammy's House for Gifted Children.

My insides felt numb.

How could Dad bring himself to doing such a terrible thing to someone he 'loved' so dearly at one point? Did he not think of the consequences?

_Of_ _course he didn't, Hayley, he was drunk_.

A horrible drunk at that. Not even the kind that makes you laugh or tell you amusing stories.

As long as I was old enough to remember, Dad had spent most of his nights drinking away at a nearby bar, usually coming home a bit rowdy.

This time he had taken it too far.

I don't care if I have to spend my entire life alone now, because if he ever tries to seek me out, I'll ignore him. He took the only person that cared for me in this world, more than he ever could have, so I have no intention to ever speak to him again.

He can rot in that jail.

I felt a shiver run down my spine due to my harsh thoughts. England was going to take some getting used to. It was a hell of a lot colder than my humid little hometown back in Texas.

I was more than likely sure I looked like crap at the moment. The last time I had looked at my reflection was in the bathroom back at the hospital before I left with .

My dark brown hair was mid neck length and very texturized and piecy, somewhat in a pixie cut, even though that hairstyle usually goes with models and I'm far from being one.

My skin looked pasty, emphasizing the dark circles under my eyes.

And to think this heroin chic look was in.

I had managed to peek under the gauze that dressed my wound and saw a gash on there. Lucky for me that my bangs are long enough to cover up the gash once I had to stop these gauze pads.

The limo passed by some tall steel gates and up a driveway that gave way to a humongous building that looked like royalty could've lived there at some point.

_Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap._

I opened the door, feeling like at any moment I was about to puke.

There stood a tall man, about the same age as .

I exhaled a sharp breath. For a second I was worried I'd have to face the entire orphanage occupants all at once.

My short, scrawny legs managed to force me out of the limo and take a few steps towards the man.

"Hello, . My name is Roger and Quillish has already informed us on your enrollment at Wammy's House. I will be your guide and dean. Please, follow me and I'll show you around while your bags are brought up to your room. ,"he said in a British accent.

"Yes sir."

Roger's polite persona managed to make me a little less nervous and a lot more curious about this giant manor I'd be residing in.

We walked through the massive oak doors at the entrance and I was immediately greeted by the sounds of children laughing and chattering amongst themselves.

"Here at Wammy's, we have many children residing who have shown great potential in scholastics and the arts.," he informed as we shuffled down a long hallway that was filled with many doors to rooms on both walls.

"So has informed me. This place is like a training academy for soon to be geniuses.,"I smiled to myself.

"Yes, well we see a great potential in each and every one of our children to grow up and be a benefit to mankind. And we see that potential in you as well, ."

"Hehe, well it seems I have a lot to live up to then.," I chuckled nervously.

"I'm sure you will do just fine."

We turned left at the end of the hallway and found ourselves outside what I assumed to be his office due to the large desk and many shelves of books in the room

"Please have a seat.," he ushered.

I did as I was told and sat in the comfy rolling chair in front of his desk as he took his respected seat behind it, pulling out a file within a drawer of the desk.

He pulled out a paper and handed it over to me.

"This is your schedule, you shall start attending classes come this Monday.," he smiled.

I looked down at the sheet.

_**1**__**st**__** period: Orchestra**_

_**2**__**nd**__** period: Advanced Physics**_

_**3**__**rd**__** period: Art**_

_**4**__**th**__** period: Psychology**_

"Another thing , in order to protect our students, we give them aliases to go by. Is there any name in particular you would like to go by?" __

"Hm. Well I do like my last name a lot, and it is my favorite color, so would it be possible to go by that?," I asked crossing my fingers.

It was worth a shot. It was the only thing I managed to come up with on such short notice.

"Of course. Now please, let me show you to your room."

"Yes sir."

I shuffled behind Roger yet again as the sight of a little boy crouch over in the middle of the hallway came into view.

"Hello Near. How's that puzzle coming along?," Roger greeted him.

The little albino boy was in fact working on a puzzle, and was practically finished with it. He wore a stern expression as he looked up at us.

"Just about done, Roger. Would it be too much of a hassle to get me another one? ,"he requested politely.

"It's no problem at all. Oh I'd like to introduce you to Teal."

Near glanced up at me with his two black orbs.

"Hello Teal.," he said somewhat monotonous, but nowhere near being rude.

I smiled at him. He was very adorable.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Near."

"Near is in line to be one of L's successors, should anything happen to him, God forbid.," Roger chimed.

_**L!?**_

"Wait?! You mean the _**L**_?!,"I gawked shifting glances between the elderly man and the white haired boy.

"Why yes, he's actually one our students here and will be giving you a full tour of the school first thing tomorrow.," Roger said.

_Well, there go my nerves._

"Let us be on our way. Goodbye Near.," Roger bid his farewell as he continued on ahead.

"Later Near!," I waved to him before dashing off to catch up to Roger.

After many twists and turns down the many hallways of the manor, we made it towards the one that my room was located in.

**BANG!**

One of the doors to a room swung open and out sprung a red headed boy with another blonde one pinning him to the floor in a rage of fury.

"Where the hell did you hide them, Matt?!," the blonde one shouted.

"If I tell you, that's taking all the fun out of the game!," the red head laughed, despite his predicament.

"I'm not playing games, Matt! Now for the last time tell me where you hid them before I beat you down to last Tuesday!"

Roger cleared his throat, causing to two boys to glance up at him, giving him that scared 'deer in headlights' expression.

"What seems to be going on here, gentlemen?," Roger asked with a quizzical look on his face.

"Matt hid my sack of Halloween chocolates and he won't tell me where.," the blonde boy exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the red head.

"I was just trying to get Mello to play a game of scavenger hunt with me. I've been bored all day Roger, the batteries on my Gameboy died.," the redhead which I assumed to be Matt pouted.

He was cute, but not in the way Near was cute. Matt was more of like the boy that would catch the attention of most of the girls back at my middle school in the states.

"I'll be sure to get you a new pack tonight, Matt, but I think it's best you tell Mello where his chocolates are.," Roger said suppressing a chuckle.

"Hey Roger, who's the girl?," Mello piped. He and Matt stared at me with curiosity, resembling four-year-olds at a fireworks display.

"Boys, this is Teal. She's our new resident here, and conveniently she's staying in the room right across yours. So I expect you two to mind your manors and make her feel welcomed. Why don't you all become acquainted with each other, while I go make a few phone calls.," Roger suggested.

I was somewhat reluctant to let Roger leave, I didn't know if these boys would end up being as friendly as him and Near were.

"Teal, huh?," Matt said boldly walking up to me. His eyes were shielded behind a pair of goggles, so I couldn't make out what his eye color was.

"Um yeah.," I smiled nervously, scratching the back of my head.

"I dig it, sweetheart. It's pretty unique. I'm Matt, and this here is my good buddy Mello."

"Nice to meet you guys."

"Geeze, how'd you manage to get that bandage there, babe?"

"Oh, um, I tripped at the airport before coming here.," I said lightly touching my bandaged temple.

"You should try to be more careful, toots.," Matt said.

I glanced over at Mello who was beginning to look pretty irritated at this point.

"Where the hell did you stash my chocolate you asshole!," Mello shouted causing Matt and me to wince.

"Fine, fine. It's in library behind between Catcher in the Rye and 1984.," Matt said giving him a cheesy smile.

Mello said nothing more, but his eyes did all the talking as they shot Matt a venomous glance before storming out the hallway.

"You'll have to excuse my friend, sweetheart, he's not always so, uh, testy.," Matt said.

"Can you blame him, you did hide his stash afterall."

"Point well taken. So looks like we're neighbors, neighbor.," he said placing an arm around my shoulders as we both shifted our positions so we were both facing my room.

"Looks like it, huh. So how old are you Matt?"

"12. Mello's 13. How 'bout you?"

"12. So I couldn't help but notice that you said you had a Gameboy."

"Yes ma'am!," he beamed with a toothy grin.

"Color?"

"Yuh huh."

"I brought mine with me. If you want you can borrow it till you get those new batteries. It should be in my room by now.," I said opening the door to my room, Matt following behind.

"Oh God. Where have you been most of my life, darlin'?"

"Texas.," I simply replied.

The walls to my room were a turquoise color and so were the sheets on my bed where a few of my trinkets lay.

Matt instantly spotted my Gameboy lying at the foot of my bed and made a B-line for it.

"Don't worry about unpacking. Check your closet.," he informed, becoming engulfed in my game of Metroid Prime.

I walked over to my closet and saw that all my outfits had been hung and my shoes neatly tucked away on a special shoe rack in the massive walk-in closet.

"Oh God. It's huge!," I gaped.

"That's what she said!," Matt joked, never taking his eyes off the Gameboy screen.

I spent a good 20 minutes exploring the remainder of my room. I even had my own bathroom and it was stocked with essential toiletries. I was completely amazed by this. Was I staying in an orphanage or a suite?

I had never been used to having so much space to myself. Back in Texas, Mom, Dad, and me lived in a small two bedroom house and we all had to share a bathroom, so it caused many arguments.

Then that's when it hit me like a ton of bricks again.

Mom.

I had been trying to suppress any thoughts of her until I was alone at least, but I couldn't help but feel like this was transition was all too sudden.

That I lost her in a mere matter of moments.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a picture frame I had packed up before coming out here. It stood perfectly still on my computer desk and held a picture of Mom and me when I was a baby.

I admired Mom for her perfect looks and how she never aged. People would often mistake her as my older sister.

"Is that your mother?"

I turned around and saw that Matt was standing right behind me, his stare fixed on the photo.

"Yeah it is.," I mumbled almost too low to hear.

"I could tell, you two look alike. You're both really pretty. Kinda like pixies."

"Pixies, Matt?," I raised a quizzical brow due to his random statement.

"Yeah well you have fairy like features, like your hair and 'cause you're short.," he smirked patting my head.

It was true. For a 12-year-old, I stood at 4'11. Not very tall indeed.

"Well I owe you for letting me borrow your Gameboy. I needed to finish off a gym battle in Pokemon Yellow. How about you come back to my room and we'll play a few rounds of Tekken?," he asked shuffling his weight towards his right leg.

I instantly perked up when he mentioned the word Tekken. It was my favorite game to play at the arcade at a Pizza Hut back home. I was undefeatable.

"Deal. A few rounds of me whooping your butt sounds good."

"Pixie say what?! I'll have you know I reign the undefeated Tekken champ around these parts.," he teased.

"Oh yeah? You're looking at the Texas champ right here.," I said flexing my non-existent muscles.

"Bring it."

I gave out a yawn and looked at the electric alarm clock by Matt's bedside stand. The flashing neon green letters read 12:06 AM.

It had been and even score so far 15-15. Tied.

"Let's continue this some other time. I'm pretty sleepy, Matt.," I stifled a yawn.

"Sure thing. Wanna lose tomorrow, babe?," Matt said standing up and stretching.

"Heh, well I'm not sure about the losing part but it's a date."

"Great. My first date and I know it won't be one where I end up regretting the person I wake up next to.," he joked.

"Shut up.," I said punching his arm playfully as I walked towards my room.

"See ya tomorrow then, Pixie."

"Are you gonna continue calling me that, Matt?," I asked turning around to face him.

"There's a high chance I probably will. It kinda stuck.," he smiled.

"Well I still gotta think of one for you. Night Matt."

"G'night."

I entered my room little a small smile play at the corners of my lips. My first friend at Wammy's.

Guess it wasn't going to be so lonely after all.

I really liked being in Matt's company, especially because we were both videogame junkies.

I reached into my messenger bag that rested against the bottom of my bed post.

I pulled out my stuffed penguin, Che. I made it a habit to try and sleep with it every night since I was 6. Mom had taken me out to Sea World as a surprise just so I could see the penguins, my favorite animal in the world.

It was the first time I'd ever been to an amusement park, and it was just one of those days where the memories would be forever engraved into the back of my mind.

I curled up into a ball on the bed, hugging Che close to my face, letting a few last tears escape my eyes before I drifted off to sleep.


	2. We are all our own devils

_**MistressxMisfit: Hey guy. I've decided to try and get as many chapters down as I possibly can due to the fact that my high school has been shut down due to the whole Swine Flu pandemic. So please cheer me up and tell me what your thoughts on this story are so far. I would greatly appreciate it**_

_**Disclaimer: **__**I do NOT own Death Note in any way, because if I did, I'd be a genius.**_

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I hardly got a wink of sleep that night. Every time I'd managed to drift off to sleep, the horrible image of Dad beating Mom with his boot would flash into my mind.

The sun began peeking in through the window, dully illuminating the room. My electric alarm clock flashed 7:32 AM. I decided to make use of my shower at this moment, since I knew that I had lost my opportunity for sleep.

I made the shower quick since my stomach had made the decision that it wanted breakfast very soon.

I got dressed in a black long-sleeve shirt, some faded jeans, and my black Converse. As I hung my damp towel over the shower rod, I heard a light rapping on my door.

"Coming!," I dashed towards my door and opened it revealing a peculiar looking teen.

His hair was jet black and unruly; his complexion was a few shades lighter than mine. He sported dark circles underneath his eyes, indicating that maybe he had a restless night like I did.

"Ms. Teal, I presume?," he asked some what in a monotonous tone.

"Uh, yes.," I said warily.

"I am L. I'm sure Roger informed you that I would be your guide today."

I instantly piped up and gave him a huge grin.

"Oh yeah, of course! It's a huge pleasure to meet you, I really admire you're work. You're like a modern day Sherlock Holmes, uh, minus the free basing on crack part. Hehe."

_Oh God, Hayley stop it! You're ranting!_

"Ah so you actually are familiar with Sherlock. Not many people seem to know that fact about him.," L praised.

"Uh, I read a lot on my free time."

Just then my stomach emitted a very audible growl that sounded like a rabid dog being put down.

I could feel my cheeks growing hot in embarrassment.

"How about I show you to the dining hall first? Sounds like you're in dire needs of some breakfast.," he chuckled.

"That would be great. Thanks.," I said scratching the bridge of my nose, a habit I developed whenever I get embarrassed.

As we made our way to the dining hall, I couldn't help but notice how L had terrible posture. He was so young, but at this rate, he was bound to getting major spinal problems by the time he hit 20.

"So your classes start tomorrow. Did you have any problems with your schedule?," he asked leading into enormous dining hall that somewhat resembled the one in the Harry Potter movies.

"Not at all. I'm looking forward to it."

"That's good to know. Please feel free to ask me or Roger for help with anything you might need."

"Okay I will thank you L."

"**HEY PIXIE!"**

Matt?!

Sure enough I glanced over in the direction of the person shouting and there sat a very anxious Matt waving frantically, while Mello sat next to him looking very aggravated as he chomped down on a chocolate bar.

"I see you've met Matt already.," L smirked.

"Is it that obvious?," I joked.

"I'll go get us some breakfast. Why don't you go take a seat with them."

"Okay."

I walked over towards Matt and Mello as L walked over to the line to go get our food.

"Hey thanks again, babe. 'Cause of you I was able to get my last gym badge. Here you go, Roger dropped off my batteries this morning.," Matt said reaching into his pocket and handing me my teal Gameboy.

"It's no problemo, Matt. Anytime."

"Psh. Honestly, Teal, you don't have to continue pretending to be nice to him. You're not obligated to.," Mello snickered.

"Why am I always the center conflict when you're on your man-rag, Mel?," Matt pouted.

"Don't be an idiot, Matt! Maybe it's because you continuously take my things with out my permission!," Mello snapped.

"Now that's not true. I don't take your things. I just borrow them without your consent. There's a difference, Mel.," Matt said sticking out his tongue.

"Same shit, different colors!," Mello retorted.

"Besides, if you're tired of being my best friend that's fine. Tinkerbelle here can take over your duties, right Tink?," Matt said draping his arm around my shoulders as I took a seat next to him.

"Oh so now I'm Tinkerbelle, what happened to Pixie?"

"Tinkerbelle is a pixie.," Matt replied.

"She's a fairy.," I said.

"Eh, like Mello put it, same shit different colors."

"Ignoring the village idiot here, did you get your class schedule yet, Teal? ," Mello asked taking another huge chunk out of the chocolate bar.

"Yeah, here it is."

I reached into my jeans pocket and pulled out the folded paper and passed it over to him.

The boys looked over it carefully, going deathly quiet for a few moments, then glancing up at me.

"Well Tink, looks like we all have Art together. ," Matt beamed up at me.

"Well that's a relief.," I smiled.

"Hmph, well just so know, we tend to make that teacher's life hell 'cause he's a paranoid old dingbat. So we might be making a few frequent trips to Roger's office.," Mello stated as a matter-of-factly.

"Why can't you boys just make a truce with Mr. Morose already? It's not very nice to be picking on someone who's wrinkled have wrinkles.," L said sitting across from us, setting down several plates on the table.

He pushed over a stack of pancakes that topped of with whipped cream and strawberries, a glass of milk to go along with it.

I looked over at L's plate which was a stack of pancakes drowned in syrup, a plate of strawberries, a bowl of sugar, and some tea that he had probably spiked with 11 sugar cubes.

"Geeze L! I know you frequently put yourself in harms way by solving murder cases and all, but I honestly think the death of you is actually gonna be diabetes.," Matt stated gawking at L's so called "breakfast".

L shot him a puzzled look before turning his gaze towards me.

"So Teal, you're in the orchestra here. I heard Roger placed you as lead guitar."

"He did?!," Matt, Mello, and I exclaimed in unison, the statement almost causing me to choke on a piece of pancake.

"Yes, is there a problem with that?"

"Well, I just thought he'd have to hear me play before making any hasty decisions like that. ,"I mumbled.

"Oh but he has. Before you arrived, he requested from your old school for some videos and audio tracks of any of your performances. They emailed them to him last night and he quite impressed."

I felt the warmth building up on my cheeks as I stared down at my pancakes bashfully.

"So Tink, you're some kinda small time rock star, aren't you?," Matt asked, I could tell his eyes were wide open in shock, even through the orange tint of his goggles.

"Hardly, I just have experience, that's all.," I refused to look up from my food.

"How much experience are we talking here?," Mello asked.

"Uhh, well a friend of my mother's had been teaching me since I was 4, so about 8 years of experience, I guess.

"Hmm.," L muttered.

"Yes, L?," I questioned.

"Oh nothing at all.," he said taking another bite of his syrup infested pancakes.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

L had given me basically a whole tour of the manor, Matt and Mello decided to tag along. I saw where my classes would be, met some of my teachers (and let me tell you, I think I might agree with Matt and Mello on their comments about our art teacher), figured out which bathrooms would be closest to my classes (in case of dire emergencies), and explored the massive that resembled more of a museum than a library. Every time we entered a new hallway, we'd pass by several kids who'd stare at me as if I had the word 'JACKASS' written on my forehead. I felt very welcomed, indeed.

After the tour of the inside of the building we decided to head outside to the courtyard for some fresh air. It wasn't as cold out as it was yesterday, but it still was a bit fresh out. Matt and Mello decided to play a game of soccer with some of the other boys that were outside, so L and I chose to be spectators from under the shade of an apple tree.

L reached up to its branches and yanked off two ripe apples, handing me one. I took a seat on the lush grass, L crouching down next to me in a very unusual manor.

"Thanks.," I said wiping the apple on my shirt, then taking a small bite out of it.

"So how do you like the orphanage so far, Teal?"

"Oh it's amazing; it's really different from anything I'm used to. The biggest thing that we had back home was a Wal-Mart.," I joked causing L to smirk a bit.

"Did you get a chance to make any friends yesterday?"

"Uh well just Matt basically. I didn't have much of a chance to talk to Mello 'cause Matt kinda got him a little ticked off, so he stormed off without saying much. But he seems to be fine today. I mean, he's talking to me.," I said looking forward as I spotted Matt and Mello chasing after the ball.

"Yes, I was actually surprised to see that Mello was warming up to you during breakfast. He normally doesn't associate with many people other than Matt or me. He normally isn't hostile towards anyone, just easily agitated, but he despises one boy here named Near, one of my successors.," L said, his stare fixed on Mello.

"I met him yesterday! He was that pale boy with white hair.," I exclaimed.

L nodded.

Come to think of it, Near somewhat reminded me a bit of L.

"How could Mello hate him? I mean yes, he seemed like the quiet type, but he was very polite and sweet."

"I guess it's just the pressures of the whole situation. Mello is also my successor and he knows that if anything were to happen to me, I'd prefer him and Near to work together."

I looked towards the field yet again, and saw Matt score a goal. I smiled a bit. Something seemed different about him at that very moment. He made the timeout "T" sign to his team mates and ran towards L and me.

That's when it hit me. He wasn't wearing his goggles! They were instead hanging around his neck.

"Hey Tink, how about you join the game. Sean got hit in the face with the ball and he decided to call it quits from there. We could use another player on our team.," Matt said panting, trying to catch his breath.

"You should go on ahead, Teal. Go have some fun. I really should get back to work anyways.," L said getting up off the ground and standing in his usually hunched over form.

I gazed up at Matt's eyes. I let out a sharp gasp causing Matt and L to look at me bewildered.

"You okay, Tink?," Matt asked cocking a curious brow.

I blushed furiously, covering my cheeks with my hands.

"Yeah, totally.," I fibbed.

"Don't worry me like that. Lemme help you there.," Matt said holding out his hand to me.

I grasped onto it and rose to my feet.

"You two have fun and try to be careful. The nurse is out getting supplies and won't be back till the evening. ," L warned turning to walk back towards the building.

We walked towards the field and I couldn't stop thinking about Matt's eyes.

They were so shockingly blue.

They were so beautiful.

It made me kind of sad to see him put his goggles back on. Why on earth would he want to hide such beautiful eyes?!

"Matt, wait. ," I called after him beginning to feel my stomach do flip-flops.

"What is it, darlin'? ," he asked turning back to face me.

"Are you sure your friends really want me to play? ," I asked looking over at the different boys that were looking at me oddly.

"Why wouldn't they doll? They'll love you! I'ma have to beat them off with a stick.," he chuckled.

I looked down at my feet trying to avoid the fixed stares that had fallen upon me.

I felt Matt place his hand on my shoulder causing me to glance up at him.

"If you want we can do something else. Anyways, I need my game fix now.," he joked.

"You sure?"

"Oh yeah. How about we start our Tekken match early?"

"Sounds good to me.," I smiled.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

We sat on the floor of Matt's room playing our 19th round of Tekken, Mello sat on the bed biting into a chocolate bar and reading 'Animal Farm'.

My eyes were beginning to dry up and get irritated from staring at the screen for so long. I rubbed them with my right hand.

"Do you wanna call it a truce, Tink? I don't want you to strain those pretty little eyes of yours. ,"Matt smiled.

"Sure, we'll play again later. Right now I'm pretty hungry."

"Dinner should be ready now. Let's go down to the dining hall."

"Sounds good. You coming Mello?," I turned to see Mello gazing up at us from his book.

"I guess.," he replied.

We walked down several halls and flights of stairs and yet again reached the massive dining hall for the second time that day.

_Where's Dumbledor?_

I couldn't help but smirk at the thought. As we got in the line for super, my mouth began to salivate immensely at the intoxicating scent of stew that punch me right under the nose.

"Who's the new boy, Matt?"

A blonde girl asked cutting in front of a few poor younger students to get to us. She was a few inches taller than me, an oddly enough she wore bright red lipstick even though she couldn't be older than 12.

"Uh what new boy?," Matt was totally lost while I knew where this girl was getting at.

"The one with the attention-seeking bandage on his head.," she pointed at my temple.

"Oh, so it worked then?," I replied coyly.

"She's not a boy, Trista.," Matt stated crossing his arms over his chest.

"And she's not an attention seeker, unlike a certain blonde girl we so happen to have the misfortune of knowing.," Mello smirked.

"Oh Mello, it's not healthy to be putting yourself down like that.," she shot back, placing a haughty hand to her hips.

_Oh no she didn't!_

I heard Mello grind his teeth together.

"I thought Roger said this orphanage was for potential geniuses, Matt.," I said turning to face him.

"Uh, well it is."

"Then who let her in here?," I grinned.

"What was that little miss tomboy?," she spat.

"And here we go again with the well thought out comebacks. Look, I really don't believe in that saying that blondes are naturally dumb, but sweetie you're kinda making it difficult for me now.," I recoiled.

Matt and Mello had grins the size of my home state plastered onto their faces due to my remark and the flushed look on Trista's face.

"Look, um, you tom-,"

"I have a name you know, try using it. Don't worry; it only has one syllable so it shouldn't be too hard for you to learn. It's Teal."

"Look Teal, I don't know who you think you are, and I don't care to hear about your tragic story or why you look so manly. Just know that I'm gonna be your main source of suffering for the remainder of your stay at Wammy's! ,"she huffed before stomping out of the lunch line knocking a few kids down in the process.

"What a bitch. Can you honestly believe she tried hooking up with Matt last year, Teal?," Mello said grabbing his bowl of steak and potato stew followed by Matt who grabbed two bowls; one for him and one for me.

"She did?," I questioned Matt.

"Yeah but I turned her down and she's still sore about it. I'm not into blondes, except for Mello.," he joked sticking his tongue out at me.

"So what are you into then?"

_Oh shit! That was nosy of me!_

"Short girls, preferably brunettes.," he winked at me causing my heart to skip a beat.

"But that scored you some points in my book, Teal; the way you told off Trista was beautiful. I think it might've brought a tear to my eye. ," Mello laughed.

"Well I didn't have much girl friends back at my old school 'cause they were all mainly like Trista, so I kinda learned how to fend for myself. I've heard every insult these bimbos can possibly throw at me."

"That's what makes you the new badass around here.," Matt replied.

"Okay well less talk! It's time to dig in!," I exclaimed as we reached our table, my stomach getting the best of me.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Matt and I played a few more rounds of Tekken still ending up tied by the time it was 10:20.

"I think I should get some sleep soon, we have classes tomorrow. ," I yawned.

"Okay. Lemme walk you. Who knows what could happen to you on that long journey to your room."

"Oh please Matt. You're my knight in shining armor. I'm so scawwed.," I contributed, opening the door to the room.

"Never fear for I am here!," he said trying to deepen his voice.

We took a total of 3 steps before reaching my room across from his.

"My hero!," I laughed hugging onto him.

"All in a good day's work, ma'am.," he wrapped his arms around my waist, returning the hug.

I could feel a blush creeping onto my cheeks.

"Thanks Matt."

"Hehe. For what?"

"Keeping me company these past couple of days. You really don't have to."

"Tink, you're my buddy. Besides Mello, no one at this orphanage has enough patience to deal with me or play video games with me. I like your company. I hope we can become better friends real soon. I honestly mean it."

He held his pinky out to me. I stared at it for a few seconds then looked up to see his face. I visualized those blue orbs behind those goggles as he gave me a sincere smile.

I linked my pinky finger with his and returned his smile.

"I'm more than positive we will, Matt."

Statistics


	3. I swear I'll know your face in the crowd

**MistressxMisfit****: Hey guys sorry it took me while to update the last chapter. We're off from school till May 11****th**** because the Swine Flu is getting worse in this area. I swear it's going to turn into a zombie pandemic. So anyways here's the third chapter for your reading pleasure. Please review afterwards. I'd really appreciate it.**

**Disclaimer****: I ****DO NOT**** Death Note in anyway whatsoever**

**Author's Note: ****This chapter takes place 2 years after Hayley's arrival at Wammy's. **

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

I shot up from my bed, knocking Che to a side.

Yes I still slept with my stuffed penguin, laugh it up. I rubbed my eyes, trying to adjust my vision to my surrounds. Then as I squinted, I made out the form of my red-headed best friend sitting at the foot of my bed playing his Nintendo DS.

He looked at me and beamed his beautiful smile of his.

"Morning beautiful.," he greeted.

"Morning Papa Bear.," I said addressing him by the pet name I had given him after awhile of staying here. It just sort of clicked.

He closed the lid to his DS and scooted towards me, lying down by my side, picking up Che.

"God, Roger gives you special treatment, Tink. You're bed is a lot more comfortable than mine.," he said placing Che on his stomach.

"I think someone's been drugging my water.," I complained lying back down and turning to face him.

"Uh oh. More bizarre dreams? What was it this time?"

"Eh. It was raining out in the courtyard and there was a parade of elephants holding up umbrellas and you, Mello, L, and I were marching with them."

He stared at me for a good while, not uttering a word.

"What?," I asked feeling uneasy.

"What kind of drugs are they putting in your water so I can get me some?"

I laughed and pushed him playfully before rolling off the bed.

"So what's on the agenda today?," I stood up slowly making sure to stretch out my legs before doing arm circles to get the blood flowing.

"Movie marathon, remember? You were practically on your hands and knees last night begging me to watch movies with you all day." He didn't say it in an aggravated way. More like in a teasing tone. It was usually a daily routine for us. I'd make a whole bunch of plans and forget about them the following morning, Matt usually being the one to remind me of them.

"Oh yeah. Thanks again for giving in."

"When you make 'the face', how can I say no? You play dirty, Tink." His face contorted into a smile. It wasn't a bad sight to start off my day with. Matt had matured quite a lot within these past 2 years. His hair was just as unruly as it was the day I met him. He still wore the same orange tinted goggles, usually keeping me from ogling at his electric blue orbs. He had gotten a lot taller than me, about a good 6 inches, seeing that I was only 5'0 flat I felt tiny beside him.

Something had begun to develop over these past 2 years as well.

Last year, I began to notice these changes in Matt and I found myself wanting to be with him in a romantic way. I had wanted him to notice me the way I noticed him.

I began wearing skirts and other feminine clothing to try to catch his attention. I let my hair grow out so it was slightly past my shoulders; I even experimented with it and dyed my bangs a bright teal color.

But I never got anything more than Matt's usual friendly responses. 'Oh you look pretty, Tink.', 'Nice hair, Tink.', or 'Cool shirt, Tink.' were the things he usually said when I was looking for something more along the lines of 'Teal, you take my breath away.' or possibly 'I love you, Teal.'

Of course I would be hoping for too much. Within these past couple of years of both our physical maturing, I never really noticed him staring at other girls or never had he once mentioned any that caught his attention to Mello or me.

I guess that was a good thing.

_What if Matt's gay?_

I looked at him from my peripherals as I went to my closet to pull out some clothes. He was sitting up at the edge of my bed reaching out for my black acoustic guitar that leaned on the side of my nightstand.

Matt couldn't be gay, could he? I mean, I knew he would joke around with Mello, but I mean he was just joking, right?

He did have an impeccable fashion sense, but that was just being stereotypical.

I decided to focus on something else other than Matt's sexuality and tried to put together an outfit.

Finally, I decided on a light form-fitting grey sweater and a blue jean skirt. I heard the familiar chords to 'Jamie' by Dashboard Confessional being struck. I turned to Matt and saw him playing the song gracefully, his fingers pressing down on the strings and skimming up and down the frets. He was slightly chewing his bottom lip, a habit he had whenever he was concentrating on something.

I had been giving Matt lessons shortly after we first started hanging out and lucky for me that he was a fast learner. Music soon became one of the many hobbies we shared. We'd trade mixed c.d.'s and usually introduce one another to new bands.

I walked over to him with my clothes tucked under my arm and ruffled his hair, causing him to stop mid-song and gaze up at my with his toothy grin.

"Am I getting any better?"

"Of course you are, Matt. You got that song down perfectly."

"Eh. I still think I'm kinda rusty, but if you say so I'll take your word for it." He placed the guitar back against my nightstand and stood up. His five foot six form towered over me as he walked over to my computer.

"Have you heard from L at all?," he asked taking a seat on the leather chair.

"Nope. He's been really busy with that Kira case. Last I heard from him, he told me that a lot of policemen dropped out of that case because they felt as if they couldn't trust him because he hadn't revealed himself to them."

Even through his goggles, I could see his brows cross, giving his angelic face a frustrated look.

"What a crock of shit! You'd think they'd learn to look past things like that to 'serve and protect'" He made air quotes as he said that last part.

"Yeah well policemen can be cowards just like every other person."

"And Wammy?," he began spinning around in the chair.

"Emails me whenever he can. He's going by an alias out there; 'Watari'. He said he'd be mailing you, Mello, and me a huge package of Japanese candy."

"Psh. You and I won't be seeing much of that candy, babe, if Mels gets his hands on it before we do."

"Eh, I guess you're right. Well I'm gonna head into the shower."

Matt shot up from his chair as if something had scared the shit out of him. His eyes went wide.

"Wait, Teal!" His face had gone perfectly still and serious. His right hand reached to the side of his face as he pulled down his goggles revealing those blue orbs I was infatuated with.

My breath caught up in my throat. I could feel my knees trembling beneath me and I was praying that I wouldn't pass out in front of him. Why, oh why did he have to take his goggles off?! His eyes were like my kryptonite.

"Uh, yeah Matt, what's up?," I managed to say.

He stood perfectly still, not uttering a word. My eyes locked onto his, feeling my stomach do somersaults at that very moment. The inside of my throat was beginning to feel extremely dry.

_Please, just say those three words I want to hear so badly._

"What's your password?," he asked, his index pointing to my computer screen.

I couldn't help but let a small frown cross my lips. Not exactly the three words I was hoping to hear, but at least the suspense was over.

"Zombie1234," I sighed and walked into the bathroom.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

After I got dressed, I walked over to the mirror and applied a bit of powder to my face. I added a little bit of blush to the apples of my cheeks and a thin layer of black liquid eyeliner to my top eyelids.

I didn't like to wear an excessive amount of makeup. I liked keeping it close to natural.

I walked out of the bathroom and saw Matt lying face down on my bed, Che tucked under his right arm. This was my opportunity to get back at him for earlier. I tiptoed over towards his sleeping form and pounced right onto his back.

"You're mine now, Papa Bear!"

I buried my face between against the cloth of his black and white striped shirt. I could feel him stir beneath me.

"Silly Tink, I was already yours."

If only his words were true.

I crawled off of him and watched as he sat up lazily, running a hand through his hair, his goggles yet again shielding his eyes.

"So what movie do you wanna watch first, Matty?"

"Evil Dead 2."

I smiled at him. Horror movies were another passion we both shared. We could never get our fill on mindless gore.

He threw some pillows on the floor in front of the T.V. as I walked over to my DVD rack and pulled out the movie of choice.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Bruce Campbell is my one and only God." Matt declared as the movie ended with Ash bruised and battered in the Medieval Ages.

We had been lying down for about almost a good two hours through the whole movie and now I was beginning to get a bit hungry.

"Let's get some grub. My stomach is having some kind of internal battle to stop it from digesting my own organs. " I joked standing up.

"I second that, babe. Let's see if we run into Mels. Maybe he'll wanna catch the next flick with us"

We went to the kitchen to get some quick lunch which consisted of instant Ramen, Gold Fish Crackers, and a few chocolate bars to take back to Mello.

We walked back to my room, our stuff loaded up in our arms. That's when I saw the spawn of Satan, herself.

"Well if it isn't the odd couple themselves. How goes it, Sharon and Ozzy? ," Trista chuckled to herself as she marched over towards us.

"You know Trista, I thought the air headed blonde fad died out in '99. Why are you still trying to bring it back?" Matt replied, not even bothering to glance at her as he fidgeted with the bundle of food in his arms.

"I see your little girlfriend's still as flat as the surface of a desk."

She was obviously referring to my chest. Apparently, puberty really came full force at Trista over these past 2 years, while I was still growing into my body.

"Ouch. Well I guess not all 14-year-old girls are lucky enough to have Double Dees thrusted upon them like you." I shot back at her. I was starting to get bored of this routine of always getting into it with her. Her body might have developed, but her comebacks surely hadn't.

"I guess not." She smirked cockily.

I sighed and pushed my way past her. I seriously just wanted to get back to watching my movies and hunger was making me really irritated.

"See ya, Circus Tits." Matt said pushing past her as well.

"You nerds should go just do everyone a favor and jump off a cliff!" She called out towards us.

"After you, sweetie!" I replied cheerily.

The view of our favorite blonde boy came into view at the end of the hallway. What a relief. Mello was pretty much the only blonde around here I could stand. God knows I wished Trista would just take a long walk off a short pier.

"Hey Mels, wanna join us in our movie marathon?" Matt asked as we walked up to him.

Mello didn't reply but went straight for the chocolate in Matt's arms. He tore the wrapper off, almost a bit hostile. What was bugging me was the fact that he hadn't answered Matt's question, but kept chomping down on the bar like a starved dog does when given a meal.

"Earth to Mello." I called out.

"Fucking Near! He's always testing my patience. One day I swear…," Mello trailed off, his icy stare fixed past Matt and me, probably off somewhere else imagining how he was torturing Near with ancient medieval devices.

"Mello calm down. Look it's a Saturday. You just need to relax and get your mind off of Near for one day. Join me and the lovely Teal in a marathon of blood and guts."

"Ergh. Fine I guess so." He said wiping his mouth of any chocolaty remains.

"Good. You need a break, Marsh-Mello." I smiled calling him by my pet name for him.

He managed to crack a small smile at the sound of his nickname. At first he hated it, but it kinda stuck with him after awhile. I loved Mello like a big brother; he was always sticking his neck out for me whenever I was in trouble.

"I hope there's more where these came from." He said unwrapping another chocolate bar.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Months passed by and I hadn't heard anything from L or Watari. I was beginning to worry. What the hell was going on over there in Japan?!

I checked my e-mail everyday, waiting for a reply from my eccentric detective friend or even the kind hearted man that gave me the option of living here.

Nothing.

I paced around in my room, barefooted.

It was early in the morning and Matt was more than likely still asleep, so I thought I'd let him rest. Mello had to have been up though; he was usually an early bird.

I walked out my room and over to his door that was right next to Matt's room. I tapped on the door slightly then waited a few moments.

No reply.

He must have been in the dining hall eating breakfast, either that or the kitchen.

I made my way down the halls humming the rhythm to Bob Marley's "Jammin'".

"**What was that?! What did you just say, Roger!?**"

It was Mello's voice coming from inside Roger's office. I stopped in my tracks and pressed my body against the wall to listen. He sounded panicked and hostile.

"I'm afraid L is dead." I heard Roger say, grief dripping in his voice.

My breath caught in my throat.

No.

Not L.

I felt the tears well up in my eyes, but I didn't want to blow my cover.

"But…but how?! Was it Kira? Did Kira kill him? C'mon Roger, you've gotta tell me!" Mello begged frantically.

"Probably." Roger said.

"But he promised me he'd find Kira and execute him and now you're telling me that he's been killed!" The disbelief was clearly evident in the tone of Mello's voice. It just made the blow of the news even harder to bear.

"Mello!" Roger called out to him.

The sudden sound of several tiny objects landing on the floor hushed the two men down. There were a few moments of silence. I held a hand over my mouth to silence my sobs, feeling the tears stream down my cheeks.

"If you can't win the game, if you can't solve the puzzle….then you're just a loser." It was Near's voice that stated this, calmly. It sent a shiver down my spine. How could he say that about L? I knew that Near seemed unemotional and distant, but he couldn't be that cold, could he?

"So which of us did L pick, me or Near?" Mello asked.

"L hadn't chosen yet and now that he's gone, I'm afraid he won't be able to." Roger stated causing Mello to grunt.

"Mello, listen. You too, Near. Can't the two of you work together?" Roger asked.

"Alright, sounds good." Near said nonchalantly.

I tried to hold back a gasp. Near and Mello working together!? Was Roger oblivious to the passionate hatred Mello harvest for the albino boy?

"It'll never work Roger! You know we can't do this together. You know I don't get along with Near. We've always competed against each other. _Always_." The spite dripped off of Mello's voice.

There was another long unbearable moment of silence. I slid down against the wall and wiped away the stray tears on my face with the sleeve of my shirt. I was dreaming.

I had to be. This was just a dream that had gone astray.

"You know what?! It's fine. Near should be the one to succeed L. He's not like me, he never gets emotional, he just uses his head like it's a game or a puzzle. And as for me, I'm leaving this institution."

I felt the nausea come over me like the wave of a monsoon. He wasn't serious was he?!

"Wait! Mello!" Roger pleaded.

"Don't waste your breath; I'm almost 15-years-old. It's time I started living my own life." I could here what I only assumed were Mello's footsteps coming closer to me as he exited the room, shutting the door behind him.

I looked up at him as he glared down at me with those piercing eyes of his.

"Hey Marsh-Mello." I greeted trying to hold back a sob.

He sighed and walked over to me, helping me stand up.

"So I guess you heard all of that, huh?"

"Mello, you can't be serious? How will you survive out there?!" I exclaimed trying to knock some sense into him. I knew it was futile. Once Mello's mind was made up, there was no turning back for him.

"I'll manage, Teal. I can't stay here trying to solve this case with Near. It's to be expected of me if I stay, so I'd rather risk it out on my own. Try to understand. I'm not coming second place to him, Teal. I'm going to make L proud and catch Kira by any means possible."

All I could do was nod like an idiot. How could I even attempt to wipe that look of determination off of his face?

He placed a hand on my shoulder, his expression softening a bit.

"Come help me pack. It's only fair I told Matt as well." He said.

I nodded, feeling a lump form in the back of my throat.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Matt, Mello, and I trudged through the courtyard. The wind ruffling the remaining dead leaves on the trees was the only thing that could be heard. Mello only carried a black backpack I gave him and filled it up with a few clothes, some money we had saved over the past couple of years, and a week's supply of chocolate.

We reached the black gates at the entrance of the orphanage. He turned to face the both of us. His expression was stern, as well as Matt's. How could these boys manage to stay so strong in a moment like this?

I was no longer crying, I hated crying in front of them, I was trying to remain strong as well, but the look in my eyes probably betrayed my facial expression.

"You guys know I have to do this." Mello said.

Matt and I nodded.

"I don't know when, but I know we'll see each other soon. You two are the only family I have, so I won't forget you. Please keep each other safe while I'm gone." Mello said, a gust of wind blowing through his golden locks.

"We will, man. Don't get yourself killed Keehl." Matt said with a ghost of a smirk.

"Keehl?" I asked.

"It's my name, Teal. And I'm entrusting you with it now. Mihael Keehl. I'll leave you with that bit of info." He smiled before turning towards the gate.

"Look for us, Mello! Please!" I ran up to him hugging him.

"Don't worry, I definitely will. And Teal…"

"Yeah?" I looked up at him fighting back the tears, yet again.

He leaned in close to my ear so as to where the two of us were the only ones in hearing range.

"Please tell Matt how you feel about him soon."

My eyes went wide as he slipped out from my embrace and walked past the gates and out into the world. I dropped to my knees as my stare continued to follow him until he was no longer in our sight.

Matt kneeled down beside me and slung his arm around my shoulders.

"Mello's gonna be fine, Teal. Trust me on this one. We'll see him again one day."

"You really think so, Matt?" I asked resting my head on his shoulder.

"I know so. L was like a big bro to all of us, especially Mello. All Mello really wanted was to make him proud. Mello won't let L's death be in vain. He's driven by determination to beat Near and bring Kira to justice by any means possible." Matt stated, the same determined look Mello had was now glazed over his profile.

"By any means possible." I repeated.


	4. You're more than in my head

**MistressxMisfit: ****Hola guys! Sorry the last chapter was a bit of a downer but I really appreciate ****I'llxBexUrxEnigma2010**** for reviewing the last chapter. It really made my day and I also recommend you read my fellow author ****Jeevas Lestrange's**** fanfic, ****Smoke and Nosebleeds.**** Keep more reviews coming please, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Death Note, just my own OC**

Four years passed, and we hadn't heard a word from Mello. I didn't know if he was alive, but we learned to move on with our lives. At first it was hard, pretty damn depressing actually. Matt made it a habit to come into my room late at night to talk about things that bugged him, how he worried over Mello, and reminisced about our past adventures with him.

He never let it bother him too much, but he soon took up smoking a few months after Mello's departure. I couldn't say I really approved of him taking up such a deadly habit, but if it was the only way he could cope with things, I wasn't going to turn it into an issue.

I had just finished getting ready in my bathroom. I walked over to the vanity mirror in my room and looked myself over. I was proud to say that these past four years had been kind to me. I was still pretty short, 5'2" to be exact, but I could care less. My hair was a bit past my shoulder blades now; the bottom layer was pitch black while the top layer was dyed completely teal. I wore a black strapless dress, with black heels for the occasion.

I loved the way I grew into my soft curves in due time. I'm not trying to sound cocky or arrogant, but I had managed to get attention from many boys at Wammy's.

Not like it mattered though.

All I really wanted was Matt. I was head over heels in love with my best friend, who was practically married off to his DS.

I didn't do what Mello had requested of me and tell Matt how I felt, afraid it would destroy the six years of friendship we had. Instead, I just let those feelings fester in me and continue to grow.

There was a knock at my door and I dashed towards it as fast as my heels allowed me to. I opened it to find Matt, with a broad grin playing on his angelic face. He held out a small lavender box to me.

"Happy eighteenth birthday, Tink!" he grinned as I took the box from him.

"Aww thanks, Papa Bear. Wow, you look sharp."

And boy did he! He was wearing a button-up black pinstriped shirt, with some dark denim jeans, and black boots. Not to mention that his signature goggles were nowhere in sight, thus exposing his mesmerizing cobalt blue eyes.

"You look mighty gorgeous yourself, doll." He smiled twirling me around.

I gave him a huge hug before opening the lavender box. Inside was a necklace with a silver chain, and a crystal coated music note charm.

"Matt, wow, this is amazing!" I ogled at it before glancing up to see him smiling.

"Well I had to do a few odd jobs here and there, I'm not going into detail about it, but I'm really glad you like it. Let's see how it looks on you."

We stood in front of the mirror as he took the necklace from the box, pushing hair towards my shoulder exposing my neck. He fidgeted with the clasp of the chain for a moment.

"There." He said as we both looked into our reflections in the mirror.

My fingers traced over the necklace charm, smiling to myself.

"Is it just me or did you get taller?" he joked.

"It's the heels."

I was about 3 inches shorted than Matt whenever I wore heels and he made it a habit to tease me about it.

"Well the driver's waiting up front, so let's go malady." He said linking his arm with me and leading us out of the room.

We sat in my favorite sushi restaurant in Winchester, Kumori's. I really had an appetite for Japanese cuisine that I managed to influence Matt into.

We sat in a private room that he had reserved months in advanced. I knew I was turning eighteen, but he really went all out on this. It came off as quite a surprise to me.

The flow of lounge music filled the room, causing me to recline back in my seat. I had already finished off half of my Manhattan Roll and felt almost stuffed.

I looked over at Matt who had his elbow plopped on top of the table, head resting in his palm. He had a serious look strained on his face.

"Uh oh. I know that look. This is either gonna be bad news for me or you're just pissed 'cause you couldn't finish the boss stage to your game before heading out here." I stated crossing my arms over my chest.

He sighed and I braced myself for whatever was coming up.

"Actually there's been something I've been meaning to tell you." He said.

"Well, out with it Matt." I somewhat snapped.

"Well I've been eighteen for awhile now, Teal and I just figured that it was probably time I should leave Wammy's. I can't stand being there anymore, it reminds me too much of L and Mello." His face was stern. I knew he wasn't kidding. If he ever mentioned Mello and L in the same sentence, he was usually being serious.

I felt my stomach tie into a knot and my blood begin to boil. I didn't know whether I was extremely pissed off or sad upon hearing this unfortunate news.

"And you decide to spring this up on me today, of all days, Matt! My fucking birthday and you decide to tell me you're leaving!" I practically shouted at him, causing him to slightly wince at the venom in my voice.

"Well there's actually a reason for it, Teal, if you'd let me explain." He replied calmly.

"Well it'd better be a pretty damn good one." I choked back a sob. How could he decide to just walk out on me?! What reason could he have to hurt me like that?

"Well, I talked to Roger, and I don't wanna leave the institution without you. He said once you were of age, it'd be alright for you to come with me. So, I guess, what I'm trying to say, no, I guess ask is….well, do you wanna come live with me?" he muttered before taking a huge gulp of his sake.

I felt the knot in my stomach soon being replaced with the flutter of millions of butterfly wings. I felt a rush of blood spread through my cheeks. I stood up and walked over to him. He sprang up from his seat and stepped closer to me. My arms instantly latched around his waist in a tight embrace. I buried my face within his shirt, trying to hide my tears.

"Don't every scare me like that again, Matt!" I sobbed onto his chest.

His fingers lifted my chin up to meet his gaze. His lips had contorted into a smile.

"So is that a 'yes'?" he asked wiping my tears away with the back of his hand.

"It's a definitely" I chuckled.

So being Matt's roommate was actually pretty fun. We got an apartment downtown Winchester. It was pretty small, consisting of only two bedrooms, but it was cozy. The window in the living room had a good view of the park that was nearby and I'd sit there sometimes just to practice my guitar and write some music.

Matt would sometimes play his Xbox 360 on mute and listen to me play, sometimes pausing the game just to sit by my side for his cigarette break.

It wasn't as if we were dating or anything, but I would always love being by Matt's side. He was the only person left that I was close to and the thought of him not being by my side scared me shitless.

Yet everyday I debated whether I should just come out and tell him how I felt. Fuck, I mean we were living together, after all!

But if he shared the same feelings I had for him, he would have made it apparent by now. We've known each other for six years, and never had he once tried to make a move on me.

It was a never ending battle that went on in my brain.

One morning, I sat by the window randomly strumming my guitar.

"_Floating here like this with you_

_Underneath the stars, alight for 13 billion years_

_The view is beautiful, ours alone tonight,_

_Underneath the stars_" The lyrics flew from my lips as I strummed along to the familiar chords.

Out of my peripherals I saw Matt enter the living room, an unlit cigarette tucked between his lips which were twisted into a smirk.

"Hey Matty." I greeted, still absentmindedly strumming the chords to the song.

"You know, I'd really prefer you originally sang that song instead of Robert Smith." He said walking over and taking a seat next to me.

"Awww, what do you have against The Cure?"

"Nothing, I just think you make that song sound twenty times better." He pulled the lighter from inside his jeans pocket and lit the cancer stick, inhaling a puff of the bittersweet chemicals.

He held the smoke in for a short moment before blowing it out the window. I set my guitar a side and pulled my knees up to my chest.

"So do you wanna play co-op on Left 4 Dead tonight, Tink?" he said taking another drag.

I bit my lip to think it through. In all do honesty, I was crazy about zombie video games and I loved playing alongside Matt in one, but it had become our routine every night for the past 2 weeks. I actually wanted to do something different tonight.

"Well actually, I had something else in mind…" I started.

"Okay, I totally get you. We can totally play Horde on Gears if you want. I bet we can get past the 12th wave tonight." He squirmed excitedly, throwing the cigarette butt out the window.

I blinked in disbelief. I knew Matt wasn't really the outgoing type, but ever since I turned eighteen I wanted to try something out of the ordinary, I had just hoped Matt would be willing to come along.

"Actually Matt, I wasn't thinking about something along the lines of video games." I said scratching the bridge of my nose.

"Oh? Well you might as well just tell me, I know you're debating on it 'cause you're scratching your nose again." He smiled.

He caught onto me too fast. I couldn't help but smirk.

"I wanna go to a club." I blurted.

"A club?"

"Yeah, you know, where people dance."

"I know what a club is, Tink." He chuckled, lighting another cigarette.

God, what a chain smoker.

There was a long pause of silence. He took several drags of his cigarette, not bothering to utter another word.

Irritated, I stood up and began to march over to my room.

"Tink." Matt called.

"What?!" I snapped.

I turned to look back at him, exhaling another cloud of smoke out the window before turning to look back at me.

"There's a club not to far from here that's letting women get in for free tonight. If you want we can go to that one."

My eyes went wide in surprise.

"Really, Matt, you wanna go?"

" Sure, if it makes you happy." he smiled through a mouthful of smoke.

"Matt, you're the best!" I said running over to him, embracing him in a swift hug before dashing over to my room to get ready.

I looked myself over in the mirror after finally adding the finishing touches to my ensemble for the night. I wore a hot pink plaid skirt and accessorized it with a black studded belt and wore black heels. My top was a simple black tank top that had the Misfits fiend in white. I wore hot pink eyeshadow and rimmed my eyes with black eyeliner. I teased out the teal layer of my hair to kind of give me that 80s hair metal look.

I smiled at my reflection in approval and stepped out of my room to find Matt on the couch, 360 controller in hand, going at it with the zombies in Left 4 Dead.

His head shot up at my direction, his mouth gaped open causing the unlit cigarette he had to fall onto his lap.

"Wow, Tink, you look…" he started.

"What? Is it too much?!" I asked beginning to panic. Maybe I wasn't dressed 'club appropriate'.

"No, not at all. You actually look really hot. I give it a 12 on a scale of 1 through 10." He smiled turning off the console.

I could feel my cheeks flush with color.

Why did he always have to do that?!

"So lets get going so we can get a table." He said standing up.

"Yeah." I nodded followed him out the door.

The club was an average looking one that consisted of a dance floor, a stage where the DJ was set up, booths that were lined with red velvet seats, and a bar.

Matt came over to our booth holding our two drinks.

Oh, the privileges of finally being 18 in Britain.

He handed me my strawberry daquiri and sat across from me with a pint of beer. It wasn't really unusual to us seeing each other drinking. Ever since we had moved in together, Matt would sometimes bring a six pack of beer with him after buying a pack of cigarettes at the nearby convenient store. I would usually have my limit of 2 while Matt finished the rest. I was a light weight when it came to alcohol.

"You look really good tonight, Teal." Matt said before taking a swig of his beer.

I smiled take a sip of my drink as well.

"Just tonight, Matt?" I asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, not just tonight, you know I always think you look good." He smiled, placing a cigarette between his lips.

"Matt, you can't possibly mean that. I mean, fuck, you've seen me in the mornings." I laughed.

"Yeah and even when you have bed-head and eye crusties and that dried up saliva residue on the side of your mouth you get from drooling at night, I've never seen a prettier girl than you, Tink." he said as the cigarette moved a long to the the movement of his lips.

That little comment made me crack up and take another swig of my drink.

"You're such a charmer." I teased.

"Glad you think so, Tink." He winked before housing the cigarette with his right hand and lighting it with his left.

So the night rolled on as they continued playing a bunch of mixed music and our drinks kept flowing. I felt the liquor making my head fuzzy and I couldn't help but smile at the feeling.

"Hehe. Matt guess what." I chuckled, leaning my head against the wall.

"You're tipsy." He smiled.

"Am I?"

"I think you are."

"Ah. So do you wanna dance?" I asked him, the grin on my face never leaving for an instant.

"Ehhhh, okay." He moved out of the booth and helped me out.

I clutched onto Matt's arm for support, trying to regain balance as we made our way to the dance floor.

They played a few tracks that had a good beat, but I couldn't really remember their names. I just swayed my body to the rythem, moving my hips, feeling my skirt flow along with each and every movement.

Matt was actually doing a pretty good job moving along as well. It wasn't like he was completely oblivious to dancing. Back at Wammy's, he had always been my date to several of the school dances.

I heard the the familiar intro to 'Dance With Me' by The Sounds play and I smiled at Matt. We knew this song all too well.

I swayed my hips and closed my eyes, seeing a few couples remaining on the dance floor. Apparently not many people were familiar with this band, they wanted more of those mainstream songs to keep on playing.

I shrugged it off and continued dancing until I felt two arms encircle my waist from behind. I began to panic and look around for Matt, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Matt!" I shouted through the music.

The person behind me spun me around to face them.

"Yes?"

I looked up to see those gorgeous orbs of his staring back down at me. I sighed in relief and leaned my head onto his chest.

I felt his hands rest on the small of my back, pushing my body closer to his. He leaned in closer to me, kissing the side of my neck.

_Did he just do what I thought he did?_

"Matt?" I asked slightly pulling away from him.

He sighed and walked off the dance floor and back over to our booth. Was I just hallucinating it all. It was the alcohol messing with my mind, it had to be.

I followed after him and sat down across from him.

He stared down at the table, tracing invisible patterns on it with his index finger.

He didn't bother looking up at me once.

"Matt, what's wrong?" I asked grabbing his hand.

He looked up at me, his eyes narrowed at me, almost in an angry fashion. He snatched his hand away from my grasp on it.

"Never been better." He muttered through gritted teeth.

"You know I don't buy that, Matt. What's bugging you? You're acting weird."

"Oh so now I'm acting weird just 'cause…you know what? Never mind. I'm heading back to the apartment." He darted out of the booth and made his way through the mass of people.

I did not hesitate to follow close behind him.

I followed him out the club and down the street. He was a few yards ahead of me.

"Matt wait!" I called out to him desperately.

My feet were aching due to the fact that I was trying to keep up with Matt's fast pace while I was in heels.

"Forget it, Teal!" he snapped back.

At this rate I wasn't going to catch up to him, so I swiftly removed my shoes and carried them in my hand as I chased after him in my bare feet.

Once I a few inches away I gently tugged on his arm, enough to get his attention.

He spun around and glared at me, his cheeks flushed with anger.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Matt? You were fine a few minutes ago, why the sudden change of heart?!" I panted, trying to catch my breath.

"What's wrong with me?! The fact that I made one finale attempt to show you how I feel and you completely blow me off!" he snarled.

"What are you talking about?" I stared at him in confusion.

"These past six years that we've known each other, I've made so many attempts to try and show you how I feel about you and you completely over look them or pretend you don't see it. I guess I'm just not the guy for you or something then. Fine, I'll find my own way of coping with this, Teal. Just forget I ever brought this up." He said turning his back on me to march off.

I might have been drunk, but it wasn't enough to stop me from registering what Matt had just confessed. I made a mad dash and encircled my arms around him from behind.

"How could I forget you ever brought this up if that's all I had ever dreamt about hearing for the last six years of my life, you dummy!" I exclaimed burying my face on his back.

"Come again?" he asked turning around to face me yet again.

I could feel the tears begin to pool in my eyes, before they involuntarily cascaded from my lids and down my cheeks.

"Matt, you idiot, you never noticed how I made attempts to win your affection over the years. I've wanted you to feel the same way I felt about you for so long, I can't believe I never noticed you trying to…oh man." My head felt woozy after the mixture of alcohol, running, and the shock of the news I had just received.

"Here, sit down." Matt said helping me over to the bench by the bus stop.

I inhaled a few deep breaths, trying to make my surroundings stop spinning. Matt sat down beside me, lighting up another cigarettes.

"You feeling okay?" he asked taking a drag.

"Somewhat." I breathed out.

"Yeah, I failed to mention how doing strenuous activities while intoxicated can kinda take a toll on you." He chuckled.

"Smart ass." I smirked.

I leaned my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, feeling my equilibrium go back to normal.

"Matt?" I called out, not even bothering to open my eyes. I was taking in his scent. It smelled faintly of the Old Spice body soap he had, since I knew Matt was never the type for colognes.

"Yeah?" he replied. I heard him blow out some smoke, inhaling a bit of it myself.

"What are we going to do now?"

There was a pause. I opened my eyes and saw the cigarette butt on the ground, the dim light slowly fading out. I looked up at Matt's face, seeing he was doing the same to me.

"Well we can either go on pretending like this never happened, and go back to being best friends like we've always been, but what would be the point in that if we still won't be satisfied with being 'just friends'. Our feelings are out in the open, Teal. I know it might be different and it might take some getting used to but I think-"

I cut him off by firmly placing my lips over his in a swift kiss.

"Don't think Matt. We both want this." I smiled.

His eyes were glazed over as his hand cupped the left side of my face.

"You're the only girl I've dreamt of having a life with, Teal. You're so beautiful, you always have been. I hope this isn't another cruel dream where I wake up and find out that all of this isn't real."

"Believe me, this is very real, Matt."

With that being said, our lips met yet again. I felt a sudden build up of warmth on my cheeks that radiated also within my stomach. My hands dangled in his hair, playing with the red locks.

He broke away from the kiss; his breathing had gone a bit rugged and uneven.

"Let's go back to the apartment." He whispered in a hoarsened voice.

"Okay." I managed to say.

We barged through the apartment, Matt urgently locking the door behind us. His lips then latched onto mine in another passionate kiss. My arms wrapped around his neck, his hands skimming up and down my waist.

I nibbled on his bottom lip, getting a moan from him before pulling apart.

"Matt." I whispered lustfully into his ear before leaving a trail of kisses down his neck to his collar bone.

We found our way towards his bedroom, knocking over stacks of video games in the process. He gently pushed me onto the bed, leaning over me claiming my lips yet again. His hands found their way to the hem of my shirt, slightly nudging it up. I broke this kiss only to pull the shirt over my head and discard it on the floor.

His hand trailed up and down my stomach, tracing the rim of my skirt.

I reached forward and began to pull off Matt's striped shirt as well, hastily tossing it on the floor as well.

I ran my hands through his heated chest, feeling the slight muscle under my finger tips. Matt wasn't buff but he indeed had a well built form.

He kissed down my neck, then at my collarbone then slightly above my left breast.

"You're so gorgeous, Teal." He whispered.

I felt the blush growing on my cheeks as pulled off my skirt, leaving me in my underwear.

I could feel a heat growing between my legs, and Matt was to blame. I began growing impatient, wanting him so badly right then and there.

He kissed down my stomach, his fingers yanking off the thin fabric of my panties. His fingers teased as they lightly grazed over my womanhood.

"Matt, please." I moaned.

He smiled at me, loving the reaction he got from me.

His index and middle finger found their way inside me, causing me to gasp out in pleasure. He moved his appendages in and out of me, making it almost like torture.

"Matt, I need you!" I begged.

He pulled his fingers out and kissed me hungrily unclasping my bra in the process. I wasted no time in unzipping his jeans, tugging them down. He kicked off his pants, discarding them onto the pile of clothes on the floor and positioned himself on top of me.

I bit my lip in nervousness. I knew it was Matt's first time as well as mine.

He kissed me lightly, looking into my eyes.

"Are you sure you wanna go through with this, Teal?" he asked.

I nodded my head and kissed him in reassurance.

He took in a deep breath a thrusted inside of me. I felt an immense pain causing me to shed a few tears.

"I'm sorry." Matt cried kissing my cheek.

I smiled up at him and shook my head.

"Don't stop, please." I begged.

He thrust inside me a few more times before the pain was replaced with a growing pleasure. I wrapped my legs around his waist, feeling my walls tighten against him. I couldn't hold in my moans. Soon the room was filled with our lustful cries of one anothers names.

He began to quicken his pace, the pleasure almost hitting its peak.

"Matt!" I moaned feeling me hit my peak.

He soon climaxed after me, collapsing on top of me, resting the head on the crook of my neck.

Our bodies were covered a thin layer of sweat, but it didn't matter. All those years of unspoken feelings amounted to this in the end.

"Teal, I want you to know something." He mumbled onto my skin.

"What is it?"

"My name. I want you to know my real name. It's Mail Jeevas."

I smiled to myself.

"Why are you confiding this in me now, Mail Jeevas?"

"Because I love you." I could feel the smirk grow on his lips.

I felt a tear escape my eye as I felt my lips twist into a smile.

"Hayley Teal." I said.

"Is that your real name?" he asked.

"Yes, and I love you too, Mail."

And that night for the first time in six years, I felt completely at peace with everything.


	5. Hello dear friend

**MistressXMisfits: ****Hey guys I'm sorry it's been taking a while to post up a new chapter. I've been rushing around to finish off some last minute things before school lets out and not to mention that my computer is barely recovering from a virus. So I'm happy to be getting this show back on the road. Please rate and review. It really makes me jump for joy to know that people actually enjoy reading my material. :]**

**Author's Note:**** I DO NOT own Death Note, just my original characters.**

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Morning broke through the window of Matt's bedroom, illuminating everything in it. My eyes fluttered open to come face to face with a sleeping red headed angel. I smiled to myself, memories from the previous night flashing through my mind.

It couldn't have been a dream, due to our lack of clothes and how his arms were wrapped around me so tenderly.

I pushed his hair from his face, exposing the flesh of his forehead. I leaned forward and planted a kiss on the exposed skin.

My heart was full of joy; never in a million years would I have ever thought I would ever be this close with Matt or should I say Mail Jeevas.

I looked back at his face to see him fully awake, a grin playing on his lips.

"Morning beautiful." His hand reached out to my cheek, tracing the outline of my jaw to my lips.

"Hey you."

He inched his face forward until his lips closed in on mine in a swift and gentle kiss.

I ran the tips of my fingers over his exposed shoulder, feeling the smoothness and warmth of his skin.

"So what's on the agenda today, Ms. Hayley Teal?" he nearly purred, using my real name.

"Hmm. I wanted to take a bath and go into town to go stock up on groceries and look for a good book or movie. I wanna make you a special dinner tonight."

"Sounds good to me."

We lay there for a few minutes taking in one another. I stared into those hypnotic eyes of his, my gaze wandering over towards his bare chest, and finally took in the sight of his ruffled hair.

I pried my eyes away from him and reached out for one of the bed sheets to cover up my naked self.

"Teal, you don't have to hide your body from me. I already told you, I think you're beautiful." He said yanking the sheets from my grasp, giving him a full view of my body.

I blushed furiously and darted towards the bathroom before he had time to inspect me some more.

I set the faucets to warm as the water soon began to fill the tub.

The door to the bathroom creaked open startling me. I shifted myself towards the door, my hair practically whipping me in the face.

"Easy there! It's just me." Matt said throwing up his hands.

I couldn't help but notice that he was still very much naked. This wasn't helping to get rid of the ever growing blush on my face.

He walked over to me, hovering over my small frame. He cupped my cheek with his hand, soon planting his lips on mine. I melted into the kiss, soon forgetting my embarrassment as I felt his arms wrap around my waist.

"Oh Matt." I sighed resting my head on his chest.

"Mind if I join in on your bath time? You know. To conserve water and help the environment and stuff." He joked wearing a cheesy grin.

I seriously doubted that Matt's main concerns were to help the environment but it was a nice try on his part. I grabbed his hand and led him into the tub. I sat on the edge, as he reclined against me, the back of his head resting against the crook of my neck.

For about an hour we lay in the tub, as we talked and splashed one another and managed to actually clean each other off. It was a pretty adorable experience, all with the exception of when I had accidentally gotten shampoo in Matt's eye.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

I slung my grey cloth purse over my shoulder, after stuffing my wallet into it. Matt was already set up on the La-Z-Boy chair with his 360 controller in his hands. He was hell bent on finishing off some mission on Fallout 3. He always looked so adorable when he had his game face on.

"Well I'm off!" I said saluting him, suppressing a giggle.

"Forgetting something?" he asked glancing up at me from the TV screen.

"Am I?"

He motioned for me to come over with his index finger.

I strutted over and kneeled down so our faces were leveled out.

He pulled me into a quick kiss, and then smirked at me in satisfaction.

"Be careful." He said.

"I will."

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I was glancing through the titles of novels on the mahogany shelves. I pulled out a copy of _Pride and Prejudice_. I remember constantly reading this book over and over again back at Wammy's House. It honestly surprised me that I didn't try to swipe it before we left.

Then, again I knew that Trista and her fat mouth would have ratted me out to Roger, seeing as there was only one copy available and we were constantly competing to check it out.

I put the book back in its place and continued my search. I came across _Catcher_ _in the Rye_. Way too depressing for my taste.

"I didn't like that book too much. Holden Caulfield was too contradicting."

I looked down and saw a small boy gazing up at me. He had unruly black hair and penetrating turquoise colored eyes. He pressed his thumb to his lips as if he was inspecting me with those vast pupils of his.

"Yeah I thought so also. He was always calling everyone a bunch of phonies when in reality; he was the biggest phony of them all." I placed the book back.

"It's really over rated." He said somewhat monotoned.

Was this kid even old enough to be reading, let alone adult novels?

"Well I'm impressed. How old are you?"

"Five."

"FIVE?!" I exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yes. Is something wrong, ma'am?"

I shook my head 'no' and watched over him as he searched the book shelves for something that caught his interest.

Something about him was screaming out something extremely peculiar. On first glance, he seemed to just appear as a normal little boy, just looking over books to see if maybe he could find any with good pictures in it, but when he spoke it sounded so dignified and composed almost as if I was having a conversation with Near himself.

He soon pulled out a copy of _The Alchemist_, one of my personal favorites.

"Paulo Coelho is one of my all time favorite authors. I enjoyed reading _The Valkyries_ and _Eleven Minutes_. I've actually wanted to read this one for some time now." He said while looking over the summary from inside the book.

"Oh, uh, I recommend it. I've reread time after time. It was one of Coelho's best works."

"Hmm, well I'll take your word for it then. It does seem to catch my attention." He looked up at me smiling.

Those eyes!

There was something about those eyes of his that made my breath get caught up in my throat. Though the iris was a different color, those dilated pupils of his reminded me of…

"There you are Jay. You picked anything out yet?" A woman walked over towards our isle. She was a few inches taller than me, very slender, and had beautiful dark wavy hair that extended past her shoulders. She almost struck me as a runway model.

"Oh yes Mom, this lady was kind enough to recommend _The Alchemist_. I think it'll be a good read."

Her gaze shifted from the small boy, Jay, towards me. She had a genuine smile adding onto to her model-like features. Her eyes were the same shocking turquoise color as Jay's as well.

"Wow, I'm impressed. He usually takes forever to make up his mind when we come by here. Thanks." She said.

"Oh, well I always thought of it as a must read, so I'm sure he'll get a kick out of it."

"I'm really digging the color of your hair, by the way. I actually did the same thing, same color, a few years back."

"Oh thanks. It's something I've been working on for a few years now."

"I'm Agent and this is my son, Jase."

"I'm Teal. And I can't help but say that you have a very gifted son, Agent. I've been surrounded by geniuses for some time now and never have I met someone this young and so regal."

She beamed with pride ruffling Jase's hair with her right hand.

"What can I say, he takes after his daddy. He's always spending time with him, even trying to help him out with his work. I couldn't have asked for a better kid."

"I would say so. You're a little brainiac, Jase." I joked causing the boy to blush furiously and give a small smile.

"I know this is a random offer and all, but would you like to have lunch with us? We usually like to go to this small restaurant a few blocks away." She asked.

"That sounds great. I'm pretty hungry anyways."

"Yeah and maybe you could swap some views on literature with Jase."

"Oh would you, Ms. Teal? I've been meaning to build up a list lately." Jase exclaimed looking up at me with pleading, ample eyes.

"I don't see why not." I said gleefully.

I had no way of explaining it, but I felt compelled to this boy and his mother. Sure, this woman could admit that she had a smart child, but the way she went on about it was like a mom bragging about a kid getting straight A's on their report card.

In this case it wasn't anything like that situation. Her son, for only being five-years-old was no ordinary adolescent. I was pretty damn certain that this kid was a borderline genius.

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"So you studied at Wammy's House for 6 years, really?" Agent asked before taking a sip of her green tea.

Jase sat between us digging into a slice of strawberry cheesecake, emphasis on the strawberry part. He held the fork in a peculiar way; with only the tips of his thumb and forefinger.

"Yeah I moved in when I was twelve. Apparently, due to the fact that I hacked into my old school district's computer system it was enough to classify me as 'gifted child'." I said using air quotes.

"Surely they saw a lot of potential in you." Jase said chewing on a strawberry.

"Well the headmaster Roger said I was a musical prodigy."

"Oh really? You play an instrument?" Agent asked perking up behind her drink.

"Yeah I play guitar. I'm usually inspired by Rock artists and I've been learning how to play since I was about Jase's age." I said taking a bite out of my chicken melt sandwich.

"My father used to play also. So when you say you listen to Rock music, does Motley Crue happen to fit into your taste?" she asked, squinting an eye as if inspecting me.

"Yes ma'am. I'm a huge Nikki Sixx fan." I grinned.

She stood up from her seat eagerly and extended her hand in front of me, inviting me in for a high five. I took her up on the invitation ardently.

"You are officially cool in my books, Teal." She proclaimed settling back down in her seat.

"I could say the same about you and Jase."

"Which is why I'm inviting you and your boyfriend over to our house for dinner this evening. We would love to have you over." She declared.

Well she did seem like a nice lady, and I was eager to fill Matt in on this Jase kid. It would give me a better opportunity to observe him and figure out the mystery of this whiz kid. Plus it served to go grocery shopping tomorrow anyways.

"Yeah I'm game. And I'm sure Matt will be too."

"Great. Lemme give you the directions to our place."

She reached into her purse pulling out a note pad and a pen. She scribbled the information down and tore out the page when she was done, handing it over to me.

"This means a lot to us, Teal. Thank you." She said sincerely**.**

"Yeah, sure. It's no problem at all."

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"I just don't know why you feel obliged to want to eat dinner at someone's home, whom you just barely met." Matt said as we rode on the taxi to the address Agent had given me.

"You don't understand Matt. There's something really unusual about that Jase kid. I can't put my finger on it but you have to see it for yourself. He reminded me so much of Near, and he's only five! Do you know how fucking creepy that is?!"

"I can only imagine babe, I can only imagine." He sighed with a slight grin.

The taxi reached the house, Matt insisted to pay the fair.

The house looked very welcoming, it was a two story read brick house with a nice front porch. We walked up to the front door; Matt had his arm wrapped around my waist.

We rang the doorbell and within a matter of minutes Agent appeared greeting us both with Jase by her side.

"I'm glad you two came, please come on inside." She led us into the massive living room that contained two opposing couches and an old fashioned Victorian décor.

"Nice place you got here." Matt said eyeing a Matisse painting on the wall.

"Thanks. Have a seat. I'm gonna go tell my better half you all are here." She motioned us towards the couch as she exited the living room into a dimly lit hallway.

We made ourselves comfortable, Jase sitting next to Matt.

"How goes it, little man?" Matt asked trying to make small talk.

"Ms. Teal said that you enjoyed playing video games. Whenever I have spare time, I partake in playing some myself."

Matt's eyes went wide at the sound of Jase's extensive vocabulary. I could help, but grin in satisfaction.

"Oh, uh, really? What kind do you like to play?" Matt managed to choke out.

"My favorites consist of first-person shooters, or tactic games. Lately, I've been playing Assassin's Creed because I heard it has to deal with some espionage work. Though, Mom didn't really approve of it due to the fact that it's really gory."

"Um, yeah, it's, uh, not something I recommend for five-year-olds. You are five, right?" Matt questioned nervously.

"Yes sir." Jase replied nonchalantly.

I couldn't help but snigger at the expression Matt held on his face. It was that of pure disbelief and astonishment.

"Ah, Mail, Hayley, I see you've met my son."

That voice set off an internal alarm in my head. I hadn't heard it in years, yet it sounded so familiar as if it was just yesterday when I last heard it.

But logic was telling me it possibly couldn't be who I thought it was.

_Wait? His son?!_

It all came together so perfectly now. The strange way Jase held objects, his distinguished mannerisms, his wild black hair, those penetrating and mysterious pupils.

I looked over at Matt whose jaw was dropped in awe, the color in his face completely drained. My gaze followed whatever he was staring at and I felt as if my heart was going to leap out of my throat in that instant.

There beside Agent, stood L's slouched figure not looking any different than he did that day I met him 6 years ago.

"How's it going?" he asked.


	6. It's just a matter of time

**Hey guys I really appreciate all the favorite author adds and story alerts that have been coming my way. It really makes me happy to know that a lot of people have been interested in my story so far. Please review and tell me your thoughts on this chapter. This is where the plot of the story starts to build up. Some it starts getting pretty juicy from here on out.**

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I found it utterly impossible to look away. This couldn't be real. L was dead. Yet, there before us he stood in his usual slouched posture, same white cotton shirt, same paper pale complexion, yet the dark panda-like circles that were once present under his eyes seemed less noticeable.

Every fiber in my being was screaming that this wasn't possible. That I had to be back in the apartment asleep, and this was all just a well put-together dream.

The corners of L's lips twisted into a smile. I'm guessing mine and Matt's expressions amused him.

"Is something wrong, you guys?" he asked suppressing a chuckle. Oh God, he was loving this.

"Honey, I think you should explain to them before they pass out." Agent cut in, lightly tugging on the sleeve of L's shirt.

"Yes dad, please do so." Jase advised hopping off the couch and shuffling over between his parents. The similarities between L and Jase were awfully baffling. How did I not piece that together sooner?

"Matt, Teal, I know this doesn't seem plausible in the slightest form, but this is very real. I'm very much alive." L said taking a seat on the couch opposite from us; bringing his knees to his chest in his awkward stance.

"But…but…why fake your death, L?" Matt managed to choke out.

It was then that I snapped out of my trance and realized something. I was angry.

Because of his supposed 'death' it caused Mello to blow up all those years ago back at Wammy's and leave. Because of L, Mello was off who knows where, or even possibly dead.

My hands gripped my knees, trying to keep my cool. I wasn't going to let my emotions get the best of me, not in a situation like this.

"Please allow me to explain. As you two are well aware of, I was working alongside the Japanese Task Force on the Kira case. Agent here, or should I say Nicole, had been targeted down by Kira and was in great peril. She was brought to my custody after being threatened by him, so I made it my priority to keep her safe. At first, it just seemed like nothing out of my job description, a simple task; make sure to protect an innocent.

In due time though, I was wrapped around her finger. I had fallen in love with her." L paused to look up at Agent as they both exchanged smiles.

So she was going by an alias then. Nicole seemed like a more believable name compared to Agent, I should have deduced that much. To think of L falling in love almost made me giggle; he never seemed the type to let women get in the way of his priorities of justice. But there stood the beautiful young woman and dark haired child as living proof that even L was capable of falling in love.

"Well, I had my suspicions that Kira was none other than Nicole's classmate and ex-boyfriend, Light Yagami." L continued.

"Who I only dated for two days, sweetie. Hardly enough time to classify him as a boyfriend." Nicole piped in as-a-matter-of-factly then added "Besides, he was seeing Misa Amane and using me as a pawn so I dumped him."

"After keeping close watch of Light by attending his university, my suspicions of him kept increasing with every moment spent with him. We took Misa Amane into custody soon under suspicion of being Kira's accomplice. Then Light volunteered to be retained as well. After keeping them there for so long, we were able to prove nothing yet I was still highly suspicious of Light. Soon we were able to piece together that Kira's source of power came from a killer notebook called the 'Death Note'."

"A Death…Note?" I processed the words in my mouth. How the hell was it possible? To take lives with a notebook? Was L actually being serious?

"Sounds crazy doesn't it?" Nicole asked through a lopsided smile.

"Well I wasn't in a position to dismiss it as abnormal as it did sound. Anyone who touched the Death Note would be able to see a Shinigami."

"A Shinigami?" Matt looked just as bewildered as I probably did.

"A God of Death." L explained. He rose to his feet and walked over to a mahogany bookshelf and reached for the top shelf.

He made his way over towards Matt and I, in his hand was a folded piece of paper.

I looked up to meet his eyes, only to see the stern look they held.

"Go on." He urged.

I looked over at Matt as he gave me a solemn nod. Our hands reached out hesitantly, before skimming over the surface of the paper and grasping it with our thumbs and forefingers.

"Don't be alarmed. He means you no harm, I promise." L said through a grin.

"Who are you-" but before I could finish my question I saw a giant figure slouched over next to Nicole with Jase in his arms.

I bit my lip, holding back a shriek. L looked at me, his expression praying that I would keep calm. Matt stared at the creature curiously, like it was a new level in a video game of his.

I let out a long and jagged breath.

The creature had to be at least 8 feet tall and had a bull's skull covering the majority of his face. His body was shielded in black leather with many straps and studs going in every different direction.

"His name is Saito. He's actually quite friendly." L said ushering us towards him.

Saito set Jase down, staring at Matt and I. He extended a long and bony arm towards us.

"Nice to meet you guys." He said through a husky voice.

"Likewise. Wow." Matt said shaking Saito's hand.

I did the same thing, feeling the cold-as-death grasp the Shinigami had.

"You see, Saito is Nicole's Shinigami." L said joining in on us.

"Nicole, you had a killer notebook?!" I turned towards her.

She smiled bashfully giving me a nod.

"You think that would be enough to arrest her as being one of Kira's accomplices. But she came clean to me one night back in the hotel room we had been staying in. Kira was after her because he found out she had a notebook and wanted her to join forces with him."

"But how did Kira find out you had a Death Note?" Matt asked.

"Because Kira is none other than Light Yagami." Nicole said.

"Why didn't you arrest him then L?" I questioned.

"We didn't have enough evidence to use against him. I only realized that he was Kira after I remembered that one day before school, I ran into Light and the contents of my book bag fell out, my Death Note being one of the things in it. He helped me gather up my stuff so he probably touched my Death Note and saw Saito. Of course, I only remembered this a bit too late." Nicole admitted desolately.

"How so?" Matt asked.

"Matt there was a lot of things at stake. Nicole told me that it was possible for a human to make a deal with a Shinigami to acquire their eyes. When a human has the 'Shinigami Eyes' they are able to see a human's name and remaining life span. So if Light had the 'eyes' it would've been bad news for all of us. But Nicole had yet to come face-to-face with Misa Amane at the time, so if it was possible that if Amane had the 'eyes', Nicole was safe for the time being."

"I see. Wow, you two were seriously in harms way." I said in awe.

"And that's just because he's cutting corners with the story." Nicole smirked.

Jase motioned for Saito to pick him up again. The Shinigami scooped him up into his arms and cradled him like a mother would to a new born baby.

"The night before my supposed 'death' Nicole sat me down and confessed she was with child. I honestly didn't know how to take to this news. There I was, trying to crack one of the biggest cases I had ever worked on, putting my self in extreme jeopardy, and to find out I was going to be a father. I had to admit, it was a bit overwhelming."

"I would say so." Matt snickered.

"So when Nicole was asleep that night, I was looking over the Death Note she handed over to me. That's when Saito explained to me one of the rules in the book; the time and conditions of a person's death can be changed, but once the victim's name has been written, the individual's death can never be avoided."

I could see where this was going.

"So the following day, one of the Death Notes that we had obtained, belonged to a Shinigami named Rem. It was such a blur to me. She first wrote Watari's name down causing him to delete all our data, as I instructed him to do so if such a situation were to occur. Then she wrote my name down. I took this as my cue to 'play dead'. It was rather convincing if I do say so myself. Before I shut my eyes, I saw that snake Light, give me such a sinister grin I felt that it might've possibly killed me then and there."

"Wait, but how did you not die then if Rem wrote your name down in her notebook?" I asked.

"Because I wrote my own death down in Nicole's Death Note. I wrote that I would peacefully die of a heart attack at the age of 65, giving me more than enough time to live out my life with my family." L said wrapping his arm lovingly around Nicole's waist.

"Wow. So when Rem wrote your name down in her Death Note, it couldn't alter what you had originally written in Nicole's?" Matt asked glancing over at Saito who was busy entertaining Jase by throwing him up into the air and catching him repeatedly.

"Exactly. After I did so I told Watari to take the notebook and bury it somewhere only I would know about. Nicole told me she had no intention to use the Death Note, but she only wished to remain the owner of it so she would be able to see Saito. When a human relinquishes ownership of the Death Note, they will no longer be able to see their Shinigami."

"I love Saito as if he were my own family. After my Mom died when I was 13, I soon came across the Death Note Saito owned by my mother's grave. I think Saito was actually a guardian angel my Mom sent to keep watch over me." Nicole said smiling up at the God of Death holding her son.

"Who would've thought a God of Death could be seen as an angel." Matt chuckled running a hand through his auburn locks.

"We moved back here to Winchester after the whole ordeal. I knew I could no longer work on the frontlines of that case any longer. I had come to terms with the fact that I would soon be a father. So I called Roger soon after, I think he might've dropped the phone in shock. He even accused me of being a prank caller." L laughed.

"Well we were all pretty much convinced you were dead, L. I wouldn't doubt it if he jumped right out of his trousers in fright." I said sternly with no ounce of amusement in my voice.

"I asked how it had gone relaying the news to Mello and Near, and it went just as I had expected. I really had hopes that Mello would have cooperated for the sake of solving the case." L sighed.

"Yeah well sorry to burst your bubble dude, but Mels hated the kid with a passion. We couldn't even say the word 'near' without setting him off into a ranting frenzy." Matt stated.

"Yes. I was quite aware of that after having talked to him of the possibility of the two of them being my successors. Please come into the dining room, dinner smells just about ready by now." L said as he and Nicole began walking out of the living room.

"I made sure Mom bought some fresh apples for you earlier today, Saito." Jase said as the Shinigami stalked past us with the child still in his arms.

"Oh boy. I thought I was about to start going through withdrawals." Saito laughed.

"Well ever since that happened last time, we try to avoid that from happening as much as possible." Jase smirked.

"You're one smart kid." Saito said.

Matt wrapped his arm around my waist as we followed the family of four into the massive dining room. Nicole stepped out as we all took our seats at the set dinner table.

"Hey L, can I ask you something?" I spoke up fiddling with the hem of my pleated skirt.

"Of course, Teal."

"Well seeing that you're still alive, is Mr. Wammy still…well…you know?"

L took in a deep breath and looked down at his plate.

"Unfortunately, I overlooked the possibility of his name being written down by Rem. It was a mistake I could have prevented. But I vow never to make one like that ever again. Quillish Wammy was the closest thing I ever had to a parent and he was actually proud to know that I was going to be a father. Even though he never had the opportunity to meet Jase, we named him after Watari to pay our respects to him."

"So Jase is also an alias?" Matt asked.

"Not quite. Jase is his middle name. His first name is Quillish."

"So you were named after a brilliant inventor, Jase. Cool name to go along with a brilliant kid." I joked looking across at the blushing child in his seat.

"Thank you Ms. Teal." He replied bashfully.

"Nicole knew automatically to invite you two over when she told me that Teal mentioned you attended Wammy's House." L said looking directly at me now as he spoke.

"I actually have important matters to discuss with you after dinner." He added.

Nicole appeared with a large pot and a plate filled with sweets such as cakes and candy. She opened the lid to the pot to reveal some kind of steaming stew and set the plate full of sweets in front of L.

"Thank you, dear." He said taking a bite out of the cake.

"It's beef stroganoff. Hope you guys like it." Nicole said filling our bowls up.

"Smells great." Matt replied.

"I second that." Jase piped in.

Saito stood in the corner munching down on an apple that could have possibly been the size of my fist.

What could L possibly need to discuss with Matt and me? I knew that Matt was a bit anxious to find out due to the fact that he kept shooting nervous glances at me all through out the remainder of dinner.

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We followed L into his study room. Nicole and Saito left to go put Jase to bed.

The room was filled with shelves and shelves of books and a desktop computer. L led us over to the computer letting it load up for a moment.

"Even though I'm currently not working on the Kira case, I am still up to date with what is going on. I have kept in touch with only one member from the Japanese Task Force, Touta Matsuda and he has sworn to keep the fact that I am alive a secret."

"Can you honestly trust him, L?" Matt asked.

"He is indebted to me, so I can honestly say I can." He grinned.

He turned to open files on the computer.

"Mr. Matsuda has told me that they have been informed by the SPK, Near's organization, that Mello has been working with the Mafia in Los Angeles."

"The Mafia?!" Matt and I exclaimed in unison.

"He has currently taken Head Chief Soichiro Yagami of the NPA's daughter, Sayu Yagami as a hostage." L said typing away furiously on the keyboard.

"Hostage?! For what?!" I practically shouted.

How could Mello have succumbed to this? Working with the Mafia, taking innocent people for ransom! Was this even the same Mello we once knew and loved?

"He wants the notebook that is currently in the NPA's possession." L stated.

"He'll do just about anything to prove that he's better than Near." Matt said grimly.

"And I have a feeling he'll ask for your assistance soon, Matt." L said, turning to face Matt.

"Why me? I haven't heard from him since he left all those years ago."

"Matt your expertise is in espionage work. There isn't a video game that you can't conquer and Mello knows this. I'm 96 percent sure he'll be trying to get a hold of you soon."

"How soon?" Matt asked furrowing a brow.

"Very soon. It's only a short matter of time. And when he does contact you, I want you to go out there and make sure he doesn't do anything to jeopardize his well-being and to allow the Task Force and the SPK to fall behind their progress. Mello is being reckless right now and is going about things in the wrong manner. His intentions are more about proving that he's superior to Near, more than bringing Kira to justice. He was your best friend back at Wammy's House; please try to get him to listen to you." L said, his gaze never wavering from Matt's.

Matt closed his eyes and nodded.

"Alright."

"Thank you, Matt." L responded looking like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"We owe it to you, Wammy, and most of all for Mel's well being. We're bringing our friend back home."

L nodded in agreement.

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Matt wanted to walk back to the apartment to think things through. I'm sure he was relieved to know that Mello was alive and well, but I'm sure he wasn't thrilled upon hearing about the whole Mafia and ransom ordeal.

He took a drag out of the stick of nicotine that was pressed firmly between his lips.

"When the time comes, I'm going with you, Matt. Don't try and stop me, I've made up my mind." I stated shoving my hands into the pockets of my jacket.

"I had a feeling you were going to say that." He sighed letting out a huge cloud of chemical filled smoke.

"Believe me, I won't be a nuisance. If anything I can be of some importance."

"I know you can, Teal, and that's what worries me. This is the Mafia we'll be dealing with, even Kira. Mello's already gotten himself into some serious shit, and I know you'll be put in danger if you get involved also."

"Yeah but so will you! We just got together Matt; I don't wanna lose you now. We're in this together, as a team. Don't forget, Mello's my friend also. So if you're putting your life on the line, so am I." I said stamping my foot down.

Matt stopped in his tracks to look at me. He flicked the cigarette butt away, the corners of his lips forming a lopsided grin. Then he erupted into fits of laughter. It seemed almost painful because he was soon clutching onto his stomach.

"Uh…Matt?"

"I'm sorry, haha, but, ha, did you seriously just stamp your foot?" he asked wiping a stray tear away from the corner of his eye.

"Uh, yeah. What of it?"

"I thought only girls in movies did that. It looked pretty cute." He sniggered.

"Matt!" I felt my face growing hot.

"Okay, okay." He pulled me into a hug, resting his chin at the top of my head.

I rested my head against the striped fabric of his shirt. I wrapped my arms around his waist.

"I'm scared shitless, babe." He chuckled.

"I know you are."

"Maybe L is wrong. Maybe Mello won't need our help."

"Mmm, I doubt it."

"Well we'll think about this when the time comes. Let's go home. I seriously just wanna lie down with you right now, it's been a long night." He said pulling away to look down at me.

"Sounds good to me."

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And eventually the day came a month later. Matt sat in his chair, playing Prince of Persia while I sat on the windowsill playing my guitar when my phone suddenly began ringing.

It could've been Nicole. I had been going out with her, Jase, and Saito to local events in Winchester such as book signings and concerts. Turns out Nicole was the daughter of David Stevens the lead vocalist of Sugar Coma. L sure knew how to pick his women.

"'Ello, 'ello, 'ello!" I answered cheerfully.

"_Teal."_ I heard a rough voice.

"Who's this?" I stuttered

"_I need to speak with Matt. It's crucial."_

"Mello?!" I practically shouted.

A loud thud came from where Matt was sitting. He had dropped the wireless controller on the ground. He shot up and walked over to me, pressing his ear against the phone and my face.

"Mels." Matt said into the phone.

"_Longtime no talk Matt."_

"I could say the same, buddy."

"_Listen, I need your help. Fly out to Tokyo ASAP. Get on flight 465 which leaves Winchester at 6:30 PM tonight. I'll meet with you when you land and explain everything."_

"Alright."

"_See you soon."_ And then there was a click signaling he hung up.

Matt turned to look at me.

"Well, Teal, looks like we're going to Tokyo."


End file.
